This invention relates to the use of a highly acidic metalated organic acid as a food additive.
Acids and alcohols have been widely used as ingredients to decontaminate and preserve food and other biological materials. The addition of an organic acid to foodstuffs is called acidulation. Acidulated foods are defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR) as any consumable food product with a pH of less than 4.6 and produced to comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices (xe2x80x9ccGMPxe2x80x9d) for food and food additives. These products have cost and taste advantages over heat-treated foods. Acidulated foods give a better taste of xe2x80x9cfreshnessxe2x80x9d than those that have been heat treated.
Newer methods of food preservation include the addition of non-pathogenic bacteria to prevent spoilage and irradiation with ionizing radiation causing preservation. Each of these methods has cost, quality and food safety issues associated with implementation. Acidulation of food with mineral and/or organic acids remains the least costly and most effective method of food preservation.
In the late 80""s and early 90""s, researchers in Japan developed strong ionized water (xe2x80x9cSIWxe2x80x9d) as disinfectants. The SIW was established as water with a pH of 2.7 or less, having an oxidation-reduction potential of 1,000 mv or more, and chlorine concentration of 0.8 ppm or more. The SIW is prepared by electrolysis of water.
Electrolysis of tap water has also been used to produce xe2x80x9cstrong acid waterxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cstrong alkali waterxe2x80x9d both of which were claimed to have antiseptic properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,838 to Wurzburger, et al. describes a solution for cleaning metal surfaces. The solution is prepared by mixing calcium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide with equivalent sulfuric acid in water then passing the solution through a 10 micron filter. The resulting concentrate can be diluted depending on the degree of surface oxidation of the metal to be treated.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,782 to Overton, et al. describes a solution for cleaning metal surfaces particularly non-ferrous alloys such as copper, brass and high strength aluminum alloys. The solution is prepared by mixing Ca(OH)2 and KOH with equivalent sulfuric acid in water then passing the solution through a 10 micron filter. The resulting concentrate can be used full strength or diluted depending on the degree of surface oxidation of the metal to be treated.
International Publication WO 94/09798 describes a pharmaceutical composition for treatment of disease, injury and other disorders. The pharmaceutical composition comprises a complex of a calcium-containing component and a sulfate-containing component in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The reference teaches the isolation from natural materials, such as peat, the inorganic compositions. The inorganic preparations comprise an alkaline, aqueous or organic, or mixture thereof, extract of peat. Peat is extracted with aqueous solutions, organic solutions or water-miscible organic solvents at temperature from below room temperature up to the boiling point of the solvents. The preferred extracting solvents are those having a pH of at least 9. Biologically active constituents of fractionated peat preparations were identified as CaSO4.2H2O (gypsum), CaSO4.K2SO4.H2O (syngenite, also referred to as the double salt of gypsum) and K3Na(SO4)2 (apthitalite) by X-ray powder diffraction analysis. The reference also describes the synthesis of syngenite.
It is thus desirable to be able to have a source of xe2x80x9cacidity,xe2x80x9d or H3O+, without the unwanted disadvantages and be able to reduce environmental and safety hazards associated with acid hydrolysis. Preferably, this source of xe2x80x9cacidityxe2x80x9d should be able to prevent re-contamination following decontamination, not induce bacterial resistance, not alter the taste, color or smell of treated foodstuffs, not create any odor, effective in water in a wide range of temperatures, relatively free of danger when overdosed, can be neutralized after use, not carcinogenic or mutagenic, non-toxic, almost harmless to the environment, and can be stored for a long period of time without decomposition or turning into hazardous compound.
The control of microbial growth is necessary in many practical situations, and significant advances in agriculture, medicine and food science have been made through study of this area of microbiology. xe2x80x9cControl of growthxe2x80x9d means to prevent growth of microorganisms. This control is effected in one of two basic ways: (1) By killing microorganisms; or (2) by inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. Control of growth usually involves the use of physical or chemical agents which either kill or prevent the growth of microorganisms. Agents which kill cells are called xe2x80x9ccidalxe2x80x9d agents; agents which inhibit the growth of cells, but without killing them, are referred to as xe2x80x9cstaticxe2x80x9d agents. Thus the term xe2x80x9cbactericidalxe2x80x9d refers to killing bacteria and xe2x80x9cbacteriostaticxe2x80x9d refers to inhibiting the growth of bacterial cells. A xe2x80x9cbactericidexe2x80x9d kills bacteria, a xe2x80x9cfungicidexe2x80x9d kills fungi. xe2x80x9cSterilizationxe2x80x9d is the complete destruction or elimination of all viable organisms in or on an object being sterilized. The object is either sterile or not, there are no degrees of sterilization. Sterilization procedures involve the use of heat, radiation or chemicals, or physical removal of microorganisms.
Microorganisms tend to colonize and replicate on different surfaces resulting in adherent heterogenous microbial accumulations termed xe2x80x9cbiofilms.xe2x80x9d Biofilms may form on surfaces of food substances, processing equipment and instrumentations. The microorganisms in the biofilms may include bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoans. Since food safety is a national priority, any product that can help by solving a multitude of problems associated with food production is desirable. Removal and control of biofilms which harbor dangerous microbial contamination is a sanitation goal that needs to be achieved. It is also desirable to be able to safely decontaminate water and nutriment by lowering pH to levels where contaminants would react and organisms cannot live.
Current sanitizing, disinfectant and pesticide products on the market for these uses contain residues of chlorine, ammonia, organic iodine, metal salts and other deleterious residues. It is desirable to have a way that would preclude these residues by promoting killing and/or acid hydrolysis without the presence of deleterious chemicals. Additionally, this method should generate few hazardous volatile gases. Importantly, it is highly desirable to have a composition that can control the growth of, and kill, microorganisms and, at the same time, destroy the products, generated by, or associated with, the microorganisms.
The present invention involves the use of a highly acidic metalated organic acid as a food additive. The acidic composition having an acidic pH value and an acid normality value and the composition is prepared by mixing a monovalent or polyvalent cation and an organic acid in the presence of a strong oxyacid, wherein the resultant acidic composition is less corrosive to a ferrous metal than a solution of a mineral acid having the same acidic pH value as that of the acidic composition, and wherein the acid composition is more biocidal than a mixture of the organic acid and a metal salt of the organic acid which mixture has the same acid normality value as that of the acidic composition. The acidic composition can be prepared by mixing at least one regenerating acid, at least one metal base, and at least one organic acid, wherein the amount of the regenerating acid is in excess of the equivalent amount of the metal base. One aspect of the present invention pertains to method of preparing the highly acidic metalated organic acid.